East Liverpool thieves take the cake — literally

October 17, 2012

EAST LIVERPOOL - City police are asking for the public's help in identifying three people possibly involved in the theft of five Blizzard ice cream cakes from the local Dairy Queen on Oct. 8.

Detective Rob Smith reported Tuesday that DQ owner Buddy Gloeckner said two black men and one white woman entered the restaurant, stepped up to the counter and placed an order.

One of the men went outside while the other roamed around inside, and the woman went to the table area, where she took action to distract employees.

Article Photos

Submitted photos/East Liverpool Police DepartmentEast Liverpool police are hoping to identify these three people in connection with the theft of five ice cream cakes from the local Dairy Queen Oct. 8. The man in the yellow hat is suspected of taking the cakes while the woman pictured created a diversion. The third man did not appear to take part in the theft.

While this was occurring, the man who remained inside reportedly took the first cake from the freezer and left the building, then returned four additional times, taking a cake back outside each time. The last time, he also took a box of Dilly ice cream bars.

Smith said after reviewing surveillance tapes, the man who allegedly took the cakes appeared to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, staggering around, helping himself to beverages and what appeared to be crackers, fiddling with a replica of a cake on a shelf.

The cashier's vision was obscured from the freezer from which the cakes were taken by a sign. The woman with the two men began dropping her food and otherwise distracting the cashier from the cake area, Smith said.

Value of the stolen cakes was $126.24 and the Dilly bars, $6.29.

Smith admitted there may be some who think there are "bigger things out there" for the department to investigate than the theft of cakes, but he said, "They were just so brazen."

He asked anyone who recognizes the people in this surveillance photo to contact him at the police department at 330-385-1234, saying all callers will remain anonymous.